shop rec

[318tifan]

hey y'all
after struggling for quite a while,
my cali top finally gave out...
i was having leak issues with it already...

i know the last time i talked to harold at one of our meets he said that it's never going to be 100%, but looking for a shop rec in socal to get this fixed... like everyone else i'm on a budget right now, but really want the ti to be on the road for the summer

thanks y'all....

(btw, socal thread's been kinda slow lately!?)

[318tifan]

btw, anyone thought about getting a replacement from places like
http://www.streetbeatcustoms.com/201...tops-Sunroofs/

or

http://www.slidingragtops.com/21.html?sm=76501

would this be a cheaper alternative than to... fix??

[cooljess76]

Dude, this is a great opportunity to get one made out of glass!

[318tifan]

not a bad idea... a huge panoramic roof on the ti eh?
know any shops that will give it a go?

[lazoh]

The M Shop in Eagle Rock is a very reputable place, not cheap though.

[John318ti]

Originally Posted by cooljess76

Dude, this is a great opportunity to get one made out of glass!

OMG!! That would be soooo sweet!!
If you do it I might too!

[lkwd318ti]

haha If you get one out of glass just make sure it doesn't make your car a greenhouse.

[318tifan]

went to a sunroof place in south gate today...
talked about options, they said that labor to switch to a working top would be around 300, or they can put a plexiglass on top for 400, but the top would be flat... i wonder if they can do a pop up hatch hahaha....

the shop is called a sunroof performers.... i guess they do ragtop jobs on trucks and other cars, but the cali top is larger than what they normally install, so i asked them to call their supplier to see if they have something that will fit... we'll see what happens...

i guess the problem right now would be sourcing parts...

how much would mshop quote for parts and labor??

will go talk to a shop in orange (coach automotives) on monday, probably go check out a shop in costa mesa tomorrow (aaa sunroof and convertible) wish me luck!!

[tiFreak]

I'm going to guess that BMW made the top an odd size just so you can't replace it with a custom top and you have to spend a lot of money getting the OE BMW top

[318tifan]

well wish me luck... gonna try out a couple more shops tomorrow and make a decision hopefully by the end of the week...

i'm really kinda scared if i end up with the plexiglass option... might look.... awful haha

[318tifan]

ok
i visited a few shops today

coach automotives in orange
the guys at coach actually referred me back to sunroof performers (the shop i went to last week)

then i talked to another shop near coach and the guy referred me to this shop on enterprise st in orange to a guy who he claims to be the best in the business... talked to sergio and he seemed knowledgable... he said that they can take the top apart and diagnose the problem, and labor would be less than 200 (parts will be whatever the dealer quotes) and if i don't get the work done there, to diagnose the problem it would cost $75. looks like a respectable shop

then i went to this shop in costa mesa, of the three shops, gives the best impression. guy quoted me $60 for diagnosis, and less than 200 for repair (+parts)

any thoughts on how i should proceed from here??

[lazoh]

Get it fix! choose the shop you feel comfortable with.

[cooljess76]

Before you let them perform any work on your car, make sure they warranty their work and try to get it in writing.

[318tifan]

i'm just afraid they're goign to open the top and find parts that are wrong, call bmw and have bmw say, well you gotta buy the whole top and that's going to be 3k...

on another note, i got the motor to pull the top back today so at least the top is covered now....